BOUNTIFUL — Suicide in Bountiful may not be on the increase, but it happens every year and has local police concerned.

“I think it’s fair to say that any time we have a suicide, there’s a problem,” Police Chief Tom Ross said on Wednesday. “I still see it happening every year,” he said, calling it “a total shock,” so many times Р especially when it hits families that had no idea it was coming.

Ross called it “a failure on society in general not only to see it but also to be able to treat it, to help people hitting those levels.”

He has interacted with people who were totally unaware of any signs or symptoms.

“I think that’s the tragedy of it,” he said. “I think everyone wants to believe there are all these signs we either ignore or are not aware of. In many cases, people keep it to themselves. The family doesn’t see it. And when it does, it’s a total shock.”

Awareness and education are key, the chief said, both for those thinking about suicide as well as for family and friends of the potential victim.

Suicide awareness and ways to intercede are gaining ground in the county, he said.

Beyond the Syracuse town meeting held last weekend, the Davis County Youth Summit held earlier this month included discussion about suicide.

“We had some great motivational speakers, some younger folks that could relate maybe to helping with ways to deal with bullying,” Ross said.

He called such educational efforts a “good first step to let people know there are other options” beyond taking one’s life.